Marvel's Heroes Betrayed Yet Again in Secret Empire #3

Marvel's heroes were dealt another blow this week as a new player sided with Captain America's Hydra.

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Secret Empire #3!

Cap dealt another major blow to his former allies when he launched an attack on the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. Cap is desperate to track down the missing fragments of the Cosmic Cube, and he's not afraid to make an enemy of Namor in the process.

Art by Andrea Sorrentino. (Marvel Comics)

Unfortunately for Cap, he discovered that the crafty Namor replaced his Cube fragment with a decoy, leaving Hydra one step farther from its ultimate goal of rebuilding the Cube and restoring the reality where Hydra helped the Axis Powers win World War II.

But even as the remaining Avengers resist Hydra's rule, one major Marvel character has decided to throw his lot in with Captain America. In this issue, we learn that the Punisher has become a Hydra enforcer.

Art by Andrea Sorrentino. (Marvel Comics)

Frank Castle isn't the first Marvel "hero" (and we use that word very loosely in his case) to fall under Cap's sway. But where Deadpool has been led astray and Thor Odinson and Scarlet Witch seem to have been brainwashed by Hydra, Frank appears to be acting of his own volition. It's not that much of a stretch given that Captain America is among the only superheroes Frank actually looks up to. Frank even refused to raise a finger when attacked by Cap in the original Civil War.

Civil War art by Steve McNiven. (Marvel Comics)

Perhaps the Punisher might have fought against Hydra in the old days, but with Steve Rogers at the helm, he seems content to kill for a bigger cause than his own.

Let us know what you think of this latest Marvel U. betrayal in the comments below. And if you haven't already, be sure to check out our review of Secret Empire #3.